The new ABBA album is the fastest-selling U.K. album in several years

After being absent for four decades, ABBA have come back in a big way, with their long-awaited album Voyage bringing in huge numbers.

As per The Evening Standard, the Swedish icon’s new album has become the fastest-selling album in the U.K. in four years. Voyage has sold 181,712 copies in a mere six days.

That means ABBA have bested pop heavyweight Ed Sheeran: the singer-songwriter’s latest album, =, previously held the title of fastest-selling album of the year after selling 139,000 copies in one week, an amount ABBA have easily bypassed.

ABBA and Sheeran are currently followed by Radiohead’s special reissue Kid A Mnesia in third, It’ll All Make Sense In The End by James Arthur in fourth, and Still Over It by Summer Walker in fifth.

Released on Friday, November 5th, Voyage was the group’s first collection of new material in 40 years, following 1981’s The Visitors.

ABBA – Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad – had been teasing the album for several months, releasing the singles ‘I Still Have Faith in You’, ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’, and ‘Just a Notion’ to get fans excited for the full release.

Voyage has been getting good reviews from critics too. “The Swedish pop titans attempt the seemingly impossible: balancing the lure of nostalgia with the pull of the present day. Amazingly, they pull it off,” wrote Pitchfork.

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Thankfully the group aren’t retreating back into hibernation for 40 more years after the release of Voyage. They’ll begin a digital concert residency next year, called ABBA Voyage, which will take place in London from May 27th, 2022.

It will see younger versions of the band’s members performing classic hits from their packed back catalogue, accompanied by a live 10-piece band. ABBA Voyage will be held at a special purpose-built venue within the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London.

For more on this topic, follow the Pop Observer.